The pressing snatch balance is a snatch receiving position exercise that can be used as a teaching drill or mobility exercise.

Execution

Start standing with the barbell behind your neck with a snatch-width grip and your feet in your squat stance. Squat down at a controlled speed as you press your arms into the overhead lockout position, timing the elbow lock out to finish as you reach the bottom of the squat. Keeping the bar secured tightly overhead, return to standing. The bar should not move upward at all from its starting position.

Notes

If you maintain the hook grip when you turn the snatch over, use the hook grip in the pressing snatch balance.

Purpose

The pressing snatch balance is primarily a teaching drill to introduce the snatch balance and to help athletes develop a sense of position for the snatch. It can also be used as an active stretch.

Programming

The pressing snatch balance can be performed with sets of 3-5 reps. The exercise can be performed at the beginning of a training session as part of a warm-up, or immediately before snatches or related exercises like overhead squats or snatch balances as a technique primer or specific warm-up.

Variations

There are three other variations of the snatch balance that are considered distinct exercises: the drop snatch, the heaving snatch balance and the snatch balance. The most common variation is adding a 2-3 second pause in the bottom position before standing.